Hello. I’m making an MMORPG (okay, I’m fooling around first, just to test some things) and I was wondering, do I need a game engine? And if I do do I need to write one? Is writing one difficult? I was thinking of using Java 3D. Would I need a game engine then? Yes, they are nooby questions, but I would very much appreciate it if you answered them. Thank you! 
The first thing you need is a game design…then screen mock ups.
If you happen to be one of the lucky few who are competent at both programming and 2d/3d art - then good luck to you ;D
Lol that still doesn’t answer my question. 
Do I need a game engine and is Java 3D a game engine or just a graphics engine?
You don’t strictly need a game engine, but it will make your life a lot easier if you use one.
Java3D is indeed more of a graphics engine (scenegraph engine) than a game engine.
I’d recommend taking a look at LWJGL and JMonkeyEngine.
Thanks, that really helps. But how would it be harder without a game engine? What does a game engine have that a game without an engine lacks? Isn’t the game engine for stuff like networking and stuff like that, and doesn’t Java have classes and methods for that kind of stuff?
Forget about game engines and everything for now it will not happen; first learn to program. When you’re comfortable with programming then worry about the engine
I am (pretty) comfortable with programming. It’s not like I’m just starting out. I know about looping, conditionals, classes, objects, methods, etc. I was just wondering.
There’s a lot more to come after the constructs of the language; for example we learn to use words comfortably at the age of 2 but don’t learn proper grammar until we are writing dissertations and 50 page reports in our late teens / early 20’s.
A few key words for you:
- algorithms and data structures
- discrete structures / mathematics
- graph theory
- network systems and architecture
- formal/classical logic
- systems analysis
- software engineering
You might be able to find a lot of information on the internet, but you will find that books are the best option; it all depends on how much you are willing to spend.
Lol or how much I CAN spend. I own some books. Needless to say they’re not the most copmlicated, but they teach important concepts. I really can’t afford to be forking out 70-80 dollars for a book right now. O_o
Well just bear in mind that the information you need is found in books, and rarely on the internet
Try some of Bruce Eckel’s Free Electronic Books; they are also available for print from Amazon, but his publishers have kindly allowed him to provide them freely
Good link. I would suggest first reading “Thinking in Java” (maybe skip the things you know, but relearning them from a different perspective might be enlighting) and then “Thinking in Patterns”. Read on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_pattern_(computer_science)) if you don’t know, what Design Pattern are.
Its a question like “does a car need a motor?”. Well you will always need some device making the thing move. Engine is a loose word. Even Pong has an Engine, if you want to see it that way. Something needs to do the graphics, something needs to manage the data and something needs to control the progress. So any set of mechanisms that make a game work can be considered an Engine.
Usually when speaking of an engine we mean a piece of program that is kept abstract and general and can be used and reused for different games. As well as a graphics engine can be used to display stuff for different kind of games. So with engine comes a standard and an API to access it. The engine question would exactly be: use and existing general or multi purpose engine or write an own one, either specially just for that game or keep it flexible and reuse it for later projects. If you can use an existing one depends on you requirements. Learning to use an existing one is usually faster than writing an own one.
-JAW
This is a decent article on why not to write game engines. Until you write a few games on your own I agree that it would be a mistake to attempt to write an engine first.
That’s all fine said and done, but some people work better when they create an engine first rather than starting a monolyphic project.